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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22965532">To Ease a Lion's Mind</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/StupidGenius/pseuds/StupidGenius'>StupidGenius</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Our Destiny, Intertwined [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ciri and jaskier bond through their travels, Elf Jaskier | Dandelion, Non-Human Jaskier | Dandelion, Post-Season/Series 01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 13:27:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>902</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22965532</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/StupidGenius/pseuds/StupidGenius</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Do you hate me?” She wonders. Jaskier pauses, mouth dropping open.</p><p>“I...um. I’m sorry, <em>what</em>?”</p><p>“It’s okay if you do. I get it.” She continues. The thought of Jaskier secretly hating her makes her feel ill, but she understands if he does. “Cintra...wasn’t kind to elves. My gran wasn’t, especially.”</p><p>“<em>Oh</em>.” He breathes.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon &amp; Jaskier | Dandelion, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Our Destiny, Intertwined [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1621027</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>64</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2392</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>To Ease a Lion's Mind</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Another short interlude. I just really wanted to write from Ciri's POV.</p><p>Enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ciri likes Jaskier.</p><p>She remembers him, barely, from when she was a small girl. He made her laugh. He was silly and fun and always knew how to make everyone smile, no matter what the mood was before he entered. And he does the same now, too. She likes his impossible tales and exciting songs. She likes the way he does her hair, how easily affectionate he is. And she likes the way he makes Geralt smile. He doesn’t do it often. She gets the impression that before they started traveling together, the three of them, he never did.</p><p>She likes how when she sees them together, holding hands when they think she’s not paying attention, she feels at home.</p><p>Different to how she felt in the castle. But home none the less.</p><p>She doesn’t know what to label him, in her head. She’s still afraid he’s angry, about what Cintra did to his people. What <em>her grandmother</em> did to his people. She recalls Dara’s anger, and his warily glances, and she knows now. She knows that the history she was taught is not necessarily the right one. <em>Is</em> Jaskier mad, that her family helped murder countless of his own?</p><p>“Now, just what is going on in that pretty little head of yours?” Jaskier asks her. Ciri blinks.</p><p>Tonight, they’re in an inn. The last four days they’ve been camping in the woods, and Ciri is, quite frankly, very done with it. She’s not so happy she has to share the room, but she knows it’s not safe for her to get her own. Maybe after Nilfgaard isn’t so insistent to find her, and after she’s had some training, she can finally have a room to herself. Or maybe at Kaer Morhen? There’s probably plenty to room for her there.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“You’ve been staring off into the distance for gods know how long. Everything alright?” He’s smiling, but he looks concerned.</p><p>That’s another thing about Jaskier. While Geralt tries to hide all his emotions behind a wall (<em>tries</em> is the key word), Jaskier is an open book. Sometimes she thinks she knows what he’s feeling before he does.</p><p>“I’m fine. I’m just thinking.” She glances down at her food. It’s not the best.</p><p>But it’s not burnt rat, either.</p><p>“Jaskier?” She starts. He hums.</p><p>Geralt still in the stables with a Roach, because he <em>likes</em> talking to her. So this is probably the best time to ask what she wants to ask. Jaskier’s just finishing tugging off his boots. He’s half undressed, now, and Ciri can see his pendant dangling off his neck.</p><p>“Yes, buttercup?”</p><p>“Do you hate me?” She wonders. Jaskier pauses, mouth dropping open.</p><p>“I...um. I’m sorry, <em>what</em>?”</p><p>“It’s okay if you do. I get it.” She continues. The thought of Jaskier secretly hating her makes her feel ill, but she understands if he does. “Cintra...wasn’t kind to elves. My gran wasn’t, especially.”</p><p>“<em>Oh</em>.” He breathes.</p><p>He finishes pulling off his boot and sits down on the floor beside her. He takes her hands in his. His hands aren’t soft, like they appear. His fingertips are calloused from playing the lute every day, his knuckles littered with small scars she doesn’t know the stories for. Similar to Geralt’s but different.</p><p>“Ciri, I could <em>never</em> hate you. It wasn’t you who started a war with my people. It’s not you spreading lies. You are not your grandmother, gods rest her soul.” He smiles softly at her. “You don’t hate elves, do you?”</p><p>“No!”</p><p>“Then why should I hate you?” he shrugs, like it’s that simple. She frowns. “Look. I’m not…there isn’t a world where I’d be okay with what’s been done to the elves. If we’re being honest here, I would prefer not to have to wear this every moment of the day, even if it has become second nature.” He tugs lightly on his amulet. “But I can’t blame you. You’re a child. You could probably count the amount of elves you’ve seen in your life on one hand. You were born into a world that looked down upon me and mine, and you didn’t choose that. Prejudice is learned, not innate, and as long as you work to unlearn them, I’m happy.” He leans in to kiss here forehead gently.</p><p>She calls him ‘dad’ in public because that is their cover, but she wonders. The title doesn’t fit quite right. Not yet.</p><p>But she wonders if it will, soon.</p><p>“Can I ask you something else?” She asks quietly. He nods.</p><p>“Anything, buttercup.”</p><p>“Why do you call me that? ‘Buttercup’?”</p><p>“Oh.” Jaskier hums. “Well. Hmmm. I suppose…ah. My mother used to call me that.” He looks off, seemingly lost in thought. “It’s what my name means, actually. I think. But she used it more like a term of endearment. ‘My flower’, ‘my buttercup’, ‘my prince’, stuff like that. I always figured…I always thought if I ever had a child, I’d do the same. A way to honor her, I guess.” He shakes his head roughly, as if to shake the thoughts out of his skull. “Do you want me to stop?”</p><p>“No, no, not at all.” She assures him. He smiles.</p><p>“Right then. I think we’ve had enough serious conversation for one day.” He grabs his lute where it’s leaning against the wall. “Would you like to learn the words to ‘Toss a Coin’?”</p><p>“Absolutely.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was just a bit that i thought of that i couldn't fit into Sunk into Your Bones. Chapter 2 is half done, somewhat nervous and excited to post it soon. I'm also gonna write Jaskier's reveal from geralt's POV so be ready for that.</p><p>this one wasn't beta'd bc im impatient so all mistakes are mine 😊</p><p>Also not gonna lie i was going through yall's comments on this series and tearing up a bit bc i haven't written in so long and i was very afraid to start again. You guys are so sweet.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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